Hack Penetration
by SB0083
Summary: A mysterious player named ZERO searches for all Virus Cores to find out the CC Corporation's evil plot. What he will discover will change everything.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. So don't sue me!  
  
.Hack//Penetration  
  
By ZERO  
  
Prologue  
  
Pluto's Kiss. That's what they called the event where all computers around the world crashed all at once. The 10 year old boy who caused it was never found again. He went into hiding along with his family. He is an expert hacker and is still a wanted person. Now, it seems all in the past. Everyone is pre-occupied with their daily life.and playing the newest game called The World. Recently, there have been reports of players suddenly slipping into a coma. Kite, a player with the ability to Data Drain, placed a message on the board.which was later deleted. Also, certain messages on the board have been deleted. Something's not right. So, the young hacker is now ready to repent for his doings. This is the story of the young hacker known as Zero. 


	2. The Mysterious Player

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. So don't sue me!

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO 

Chapter One: The Mysterious Player

          "Seems a little too quiet. Something's not right." The mysterious player knew a magic portal had opened. He turned around to see a Lamia Hunter and Armored Shogun. "Well, it's time to play." The mysterious player took out his weapon and charged forward, hacking up both creatures at once. "That's over and done with. Time to gate out of here. I must see the one known as Kite." The player gated out of the field.

          Elsewhere, Kite, along with BlackRose and Sanjuro, were having problems of their own. They were up against a pair of Red Scissors and another pair of Goil Menhirs. They fought hard, but their efforts were to no avail. Every time they killed a Red Scissor, the Goil Menhir revived it. When they killed a Goil Menhir, the other one brought it back. "Come on guys, we have to think of something. Wait, I got it!" Kite rushed up to a Goil Menhir and continuously slashed it. His attacks weren't doing that much. "Everyone, Operation Union Battle!" Sanjuro and BlackRose rushed to Kite's aid and they continuously slashed the Menhir. It soon reached Protect Break status. "Everyone, Operation Recover!" Now he didn't have to worry about his party members killing the Menhir. Kite seized this chance and was getting ready to Data Drain the Menhir. The usual thing happened. The bracelet started getting active and then re-wrote the Menhir's data. He didn't care about the item. He then proceeded on taking out the other Menhir. They successfully took out the Red Scissors and finally the Hebinyoro (data drained form of a Goil Menhir).

          "Ugh, that hurt. Let's gate out of here and return to Dun Loireag." Kite listened to BlackRose's suggestion and gated out. "Let's do this again sometime. See ya later." Kite watched BlackRose log out of The World.

          "I gotta do the same. See ya." Sanjuro gated out as well. 

Kite was headed towards Elf's Haven when he heard a sound following him. He looked behind him, expecting to see someone. No one was there. He continued towards Elf's Haven and stored all his unnecessary items, armor, and weapons. He proceeded towards the Chaos Gate when he heard the same sound. He turned around and still saw nothing.

"Behind you."

Kite turned around once more to see someone was indeed following him. "It's about time I got your attention. I've been waiting for you."

"Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am ZERO. I'm here to help you."

"What for? I'm just playing a game. I don't need your help."

"Sure you don't. You think I don't know about Orca? I read your message on the board right before it was deleted. I also know about your bracelet and your power to Data Drain. I've seen it with my eyes. Remember when you opened the Book of Twilights? I was at that place. I watched from above."

"If that's the case, what are the keywords?"

"The keywords are Δ: Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Ground. Ya thought I didn't know about you? I know everything."

"How can you know all that? Who are you? Better yet, what are you?"

"I'm a hacker, one who is very well known. You should know me."

"I don't, honestly. Who are you?"

"I can't give you my real name. If you want to know, I'm the one who started Pluto's Kiss. I'm that boy. I was a young hacker back then when I started the event. I found something no other hacker has found. I swore I would never use my hacking skills, but I developed them incase I needed to help someone, such as yourself."

"I see now. So what's your class?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a cross between three classes. I'm a Blademaster, Heavy Blade, and a Twin Blade."

"How's that? Oh, I almost forgot that you're a hacker."

          "That's one thing you should keep in mind. Now, I have a favor to ask you. I need at least one of every Virus Core. That means getting Virus Cores A-Z. If you do that, I can help you find out about Orca. Even I do not know what the CC Corporation is doing. I have a feeling that it isn't good. Here's my member address. Call me when you're going to get some Virus Cores."

          ZERO was leaving when he got a message from Kite.

          "So, you were planning on getting these cores after all. Very well, let's go. 

          They headed to θ: Collapsed, Momentary, Spiral. Kite remembered fighting a Data Bugged Woodstock. Kite didn't have time to fight the monsters on the field, so he used the Grunty Flute to summon one of his Grunties. The Iron Grunty came to his aid. Kite and ZERO got on the Grunty and rode off into the dungeon. When they reached the dungeon, the entrance suddenly closed behind them.

          "What's going on? Why'd they close the entrance?"

          "Seems a silly System Administrator was out of the question. They want us dead. Very well, let's proceed forward."

          Every room they entered, the door closed behind them. Luckily, ZERO had hacked beforehand and had gotten a map of the dungeon. They proceeded forward and found a Magic Portal. It began to expand and revealed a Noisy Wisp and a Phantom Wing.

          "Huh, easy. This won't even take a minute."

          ZERO rushed forward and, in one slash, had slain the two creatures…or so he thought. Oddly enough, they arose with full health. To make matters worse, they were Data Bugged.

          "This just makes things even more interesting. Guess I'll have to pull out my special."

          ZERO flanked around the Phantom Wing and performed Deathbringer. Instead of reaching Protect Break, it was a different status called Attack Break.

          "Okay, here it is. Data Override!"

          The gauntlets ZERO wore started to emit a black luster. ZERO held out his hands and then put them at his waist. Afterwards, he thrust his hands forward, which shot out a burst of a dark light. The attack was clearly a hit.

          "Kite, now's your chance!"

           Kite seized this chance and used his best skill, the Data Drain. As usual, the bracelet activated and drained the creature and Kite gained an item. The Phantom Wing was now just a regular Phantom Wing. ZERO and Kite slashed it at the same exact time, slaying the moth.

          "It's not over yet. We still have to deal with this Noisy Wisp. I'll leave it to you…unless you need my help."

          "Heh, I've dealt with tougher creatures."

          Kite got behind the Noisy Wisp and used Staccato and then followed it up with the infamous Tiger Claw. It reached the usual Protect Break. Kite was about to Data Drain it before ZERO stopped him.

          "Let me take care of this one. Data Drain!"

          ZERO's gauntlets revealed the bracelet on each wrist. ZERO thrust his arms forward and the two bracelets became one. Then, a bright blue beam shot forward and made a direct hit with the Noisy Wisp. After the attack, the creature turned into an Odoro, a pathetic, small ghost head. ZERO slashed it once and killed it.

          "I didn't know you could Data Drain and that other thing. What did you call it?"

          "Data Override."

          "Right. Um…what does it do?"

          "It makes sure that its victim cannot attack whatsoever. Come on, we got 5 more rooms to go before we fight another monster."

(5 rooms later)

          "Kite, you ready? I'm not going to activate the portal if you can't stand it."

          "No, I'm ready. Let's go!"

          They rushed forward to the Magic Portal. Inside contained the Data Bugged Woodstock. Despite ZERO's overwhelming strength, he was unable to get the creature to the Attack Break status, let alone the Protect Break status. They fought hard and well. Kite had wrung out all his SP on using Staccato and Tiger Claw, not to mention Gale of Swords. To make matters worse, both players were out of Mage's Soul and anything that restored SP.

          "This has to work. My only chance is that I make a successful Elemental Hit. Okay, here it is. Gan Drive!"

          To his surprise, the attack worked and everything went planned. However, it was not on Protect Break status or Attack Break status. It was one called Absorb Break.

          "Kite, pay attention. I only do this occasionally. Data Load!"

          It was similar to the Data Drain ZERO performed. However, the finishing was different. First, the bracelets activated. Then, he thrust his hands forward to merge the two bracelets into one. The next thing that happened was totally different. The bracelet started to revolve counter-clockwise and created what seemed to be a vortex. It sucked the creature in and the Data was distributed evenly through ZERO's character. Afterwards, Kite heard ZERO cry out and earsplitting scream of pain. Warily, ZERO got up. His body started looking fuzzy for a bit then adjusted.

          "What just happened?"

          "That's the Data Load. I absorb the enemy's data and even gain all possible items. However, that also includes the virus. I need to take the vaccine later or the virus will spread and utterly destroy this character and kill me in real life. It's similar to your Data Drain. It causes a viral infection to spread every time you perform that skill. Unlike my infection, yours is not curable by any ordinary vaccine. You see, if you take the vaccine, you will lose the power to Data Drain. You cannot afford to lose it."

          "Are there any more techniques you can do?"

          "That's about it unless you can get me every Virus Core. If you do, there is one final move…the Data Blaze. It overloads the target by making it absorb unnecessary and meaningless data. Speaking of Virus Cores, do you have any more? All I have is the Virus Core Q that I just Data Loaded. Do you have Virus Cores A-C? I remember that you collected those types of Virus Cores. I'll trade you for ten Golden Grunties, 10 Silver Scarabs, and 10 Thunder Torques. Well, agreed?"

          "Ya, thanks! :-) I really appreciate it. Now, where do we go now?"

          "From here on, we'll go our own separate ways. Should you need me or find any Virus Cores, contact me. Farewell Kite. I'm glad that we were able to meet."

          ZERO used a Sprite Ocarina to get out of the dungeon and probably gated out to Dun Loireag. From there, he probably logged out of "The World." Kite still was confused exactly what ZERO's motives were. He wasn't sure if he could trust him, but he knew that he had to rely on him in the future.

To Be Continued…

Kite posts a message on the board about ZERO. Not surprisingly, Mia knows everything about him. They even get a visit from him. His target is Virus Core N and guess who's accompanying him.


	3. Triple Virus Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO 

Chapter Two: triple virus trouble

          "I wonder if I can trust ZERO. I know! I'll post a message on the board." Kite had met the mysterious player known as ZERO, an ace hacker who had powers similar to Kite's. Kite logged out and posted a message on the board before re-entering "The World." Kite was headed to the Chaos Gate before he got a message that he had e-mail. He logged out yet again and checked his mail. He had an e-mail from every party member, with the exception of Elk. They were just a bunch of untrue rumors. However, Mia told Kite about ZERO. He knew what she said was true. She knew that ZERO was an ace hacker who had started Pluto's Kiss. What's worse is that his father was the one who created the infamous Deadly Flash Virus. Kite sent a reply e-mail and asked if they could meet at Mac Anu. Kite thought he was finished with his mail, but suddenly, all his old mail was deleted and a new one appeared. He read the mail. Seems it was from ZERO himself. It said:

Sender: ZERO

Subject: Virus Core N

Kite,

          I apologize for deleting your e-mails. Good thing they are old. Anyway, meet me at server Δ at Mac Anu. I am searching for the Virus Core N. Bring a party member. I have a feeling that this time, there's a different trap and if we don't be careful, it won't just be a regular Game Over, but a permanent one if you know what I mean. One more thing, I got a gift for you. You'll need it to survive.

          "I guess I don't have much of a choice." Kite logged into the game immediately. Mia was waiting for him, but ZERO was nowhere to be found.

          "Where could he be? Does he always do this?"

          "Of course I do. I like sneaking up on people."

          Kite turned around to see ZERO. However, there was something peculiar. At first glance, ZERO looked kind of fuzzy. Kite could sense something was wrong.

          "Oh, excuse me. I forgot to take the vaccine."

          ZERO drank a strange looking vile.

          "That's better. Oh! That reminds me, I got a gift for you. Now where did I put it? Oh, here it is."

          ZERO handed Kite a Twin Blade Weapon. The blades were blood red, but they weren't the Bloody Blades.

          "That is the Hyakkidouran. That was the best Twin Blade weapon I could get. It has Flame Dance, Twin Dragons, and Blazing Wheel plus a Critical Hit effect. Good for water-based monsters. Oh wait, I got four other weapons for you. This first one here is the Ryogun, which is good for earth-based monsters. This second one is the Anshou, which is good for thunder-based monsters. This third one is the Bom-Ba-Ye, good for darkness-based creatures. And this last one is Hell's Gate, which is good for every type of creature. Now, shall we get going?"

          "Where are we headed?"

          "The keywords are Δ: Closed, Oblivious, Twin Hills. That's where you got the Virus Core N."

          "I'm not gonna even ask how you know that."

          "I take it that your friend here is Mia."

          Mia shot ZERO a look. Zero stared back at Mia's eyes. He saw the secrets Mia was hiding and some were unbelievable. He couldn't afford to tell Kite or it could be disastrous.

          "So, you are ZERO. You like keeping yourself scarce."

          "And with you too. I know who you are so don't think you can fool me."

          "I should've guessed."

          Kite just stood there in utter confusion of what ZERO and Mia were talking about. He could sense that something was wrong. He decided it's best that he break up the conversation.

          "Are we going to Δ: Closed, Oblivious, Twin Hills yet? Or are both of you just going to talk?"

          "Right, let's go."

          "Understood. Let's get this virus core ASAP."

          They arrived at Δ: Closed, Oblivious, Twin Hills. However, as soon as they entered, a magic portal was opened.

          "Let's get this over with."

          They enemies that they were up against are a Mummy Ripper, Mimic, and a Red Wyrm. ZERO charged forward and used a Blademaster skill that was used by Orca himself…the Cross-Slash. However, ZERO was able to make it target the three enemies at once.

          "Let's head to the dungeon. The sooner we get out of here, the better. I'll just use a Speed Charm on all three of us."

          Once ZERO had used the Speed Charms, they rushed towards the dungeon as fast as they could, avoiding any magic portals. After a minute or two of searching, they found it. They slowly descended into the first room, but as soon as Kite and ZERO entered, a gate appeared and kept Mia out of the dungeon.

          "I want only us to enter. Very well, let's proceed."

          For some reason, there wasn't a single magic portal in that first floor. They descended to the second floor and there still wasn't a single magic portal. However on the third floor, there was an obvious sign of a boss.

          "Kite, be prepared. I'd equip the Ryogun if I were you. There is a Stone Turtle in there and the easiest way to kill it is an Elemental Hit. Trust me, I know what I talk about."

          "Okay, got it. Let's go."

          They entered the room and as soon as they did, the magic portal opened. However, there wasn't one, but three bosses for them to face. They were up against a Stone Turtle, Red Wyrm, and Killer Snake that were all Data-Bugged.

          "Kite, you take the Stone Turtle and Killer Snake. They're susceptible to Elemental Hits from your Splinter Slash skill. If you don't want to attack them head on, here are a few Green Gales."

          "I like to fight them head on."

          Kite rushed for the turtle, but it got out of the way at incredible speed. He then rushed for the snake, but instead of evading, it coiled around his body and restrained him. The Red Wyrm ZERO was fighting headed towards the Killer Snake and used its Breath attack, causing major damage to Kite and the Killer Snake. However, the Stone Turtle used Rig Seam on the Killer Snake and the rest of them, recovering the damage done. Kite was not only being restrained, but the snake was also draining his HP and SP and transferring it to itself and its members.

          "This is a first. Three bosses teaming up and attacking one person at a time. Guess I'll have to use the Data Load on the first two. The snake I'll just use the Data Override. ZERO rushed forward and slashed the snake repeatedly, but it was to no avail. The lost HP only came back at an increasingly rapid rate.

          "There's one way I could do this, but it's very risky and I don't want to lose a party member, but I have no choice."

          ZERO used a Green Gale on the three bosses. The one affected most was the Killer Snake and the Stone Turtle. Both reached the Attack Break status.

          "Here I go! Data Override!"

          The snake was completely disabled and could not attack Kite whatsoever. It released Kite, who was in really bad shape. He had only 5% of his strength.

          "Kite, drink this. It's a Noble Wine I got from trade. Your HP and SP should be restored by now."

          The Noble Wine was just the thing Kite needed. ZERO continuously pummeled the Killer Snake enough to make it go into Protect Break.

          "Kite, take care of this thing while I continuously pummel the others."

          Kite performed his Data Drain skill and reduced the menacing Killer Snake to a pathetic Snake-Charmer (I could be wrong about this). ZERO had his work cut out for him. He couldn't accurately hit the Red Wyrm due to its ability to fly. He decided to skip the wyrm and go for the turtle. He used Hayabusa on the Stone Turtle to make it go into Absorb Break.

          "I'll deal with you later. I'll take care of the wyrm. I think I got just the thing."

          ZERO used an Ice Floe on the Red Wyrm. It caused an Elemental Hit and both the Red Wyrm and Stone Turtle were in Absorb Break.

          "Here's the kill. Data Load!"

          ZERO put the two bracelets to form one bracelet and sucked both the Stone Turtle and Red Wyrm. ZERO felt the pain and tried to contain it, but to no avail. It was obvious that ZERO was in pain.

          "We're done here. Let's exit this place."

          ZERO used a Sprite Ocarina and exited the dungeon along with Kite. As they stood on the field, Kite realized that he had the Virus Core ZERO wanted.

          "Okay, I'll trade you 10 Divine Crosses and 10 Noble Wines for that Virus Core."

          The trade was complete and ZERO left immediately. Kite gated out the same time, but by the time he returned to Mac Anu, ZERO was gone.

          "Guess I'll never figure him out. There's something about him that makes me trust him. He seems just like Orca in almost every aspect."

          "Mission Accomplished. Seven down, nineteen more Virus Cores to go."

To Be Continued…

It seems the System Administration have been monitoring Kite and ZERO's activities. Now, they are on the run and it seems as if there's no escape.

A.N: Okay, got a bunch of reviews for this. Unfortunately, most of them are flamers. Anyway, I realize that it seems that my story is one big paragraph. Actually, it's just something with fanfiction.net. It doesn't recognize the tabs and every time I hit the enter key. If this should continue, my format may change. Hopefully, this bug should be fixed soon, considering I e-mailed about this. Also, I realize that all of you are talkin' 'bout my character, ZERO. Sure he may seem to be this omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing) character, but he does have his weaknesses and you will see in future chapters very soon. Heck, I already gave his major weakness in the last chapter and this one. Now, that's everything is clarified, hope you'll enjoy it more and don't flame me too bad. Gray, that includes you. You sent me three flamers, one being a copy of a flamer (I'm evil, huh? Mwahahahaha!).


	4. Caught In The Act

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO 

Chapter Three: Caught In The Act

          "We cannot let them do as they please. Something must be done about these two players. Go and capture them. Then, return them here."

          "Understood. We won't fail you."

          Elsewhere, Kite had just returned from another dungeon adventure with BlackRose and Piros. They already logged off "The World" and were even offline. Kite decided to do the same and logged off "The World." He went through his mail and saw that he got another e-mail from ZERO.

          "At least he didn't do anything like delete some mail."

          It read:

Sender: ZERO

Subject: Beware

Kite,

          I've found another location of a virus core. This time, it's Virus Core Z. However, I've read the message boards and it seems that people have been searching for us because of our hacking abilities. We must be cautious or we may get caught. I'll be at Δ: Aqua Capitol Mac Anu. 

          "Could it be the System Administration? This is not good if they're after us." Kite logged back onto "The World" and found ZERO when he first entered.

          "Okay, let's get going."

          "Hold it right there."

          ZERO turned around to see a bunch of players.

          "Damn System Administration. Kite, let's switch servers now!"

          They arrived at θ: Highland City Dun Loireag. When they arrived, they faced the same situation. Players of the System Administration were after them.

          "Quick, enter θ: Chosen, Hopeless, Aqua Field now!"

          Kite did that just in time and they were free from the System Administration.

          They were free from the System Administration for the mean time, but they were trapped. They couldn't log out unless they risked being caught.

          "At least that's over. There's no way they'll find us here."

          "I wouldn't count on it. They might be able to find us, even if we are on a field. Best keep your guard up. The core is somewhere in the dungeon. There must be another trap involved. Let's go."

          They decided to ride a Grunty this time. ZERO played the Grunty Flute and the Iron Grunty answered his call. They got on its back and started to ride ahead when other players entered.

          "Halt! Stop before we use the Data Drain!"

          "What?! And here I thought I was the only one who could do that."

          "Hang on, I'm going to use a Speed Charm on the grunty."

          "That's not possible. It only works on players."

          "Not this one I made."

          "Just use it!"

          The Iron Grunty was now running faster than usual. However, the System Administration was doing the same thing. They summoned a grunty and were now starting to catch up with ZERO and Kite. One drew his sword and attempted to strike Kite, but ZERO used his sword to block it. The Iron Grunty was starting to outrun the others.

          "Good, we're safe. What?! They have the same Speed Charm!"

          "I didn't expect this. Hang on; I'm going to use a special ability. Now you'll see why I'm part Twin Blade."

          ZERO took his sword and apparently split it down the middle. Kite was confused for a moment until he saw the swords starting to reform.

          "Here, use this sword and hold them off."

          "Twin Blades can't use other weapons except their own."

          "You're starting to forget I'm a hacker."

          Kite took the sword. The others were starting to catch up yet again. Kite didn't intend on slashing anyone, but didn't want to get caught. The others were now at the same pace and within striking distance. One started to hit ZERO wildly. ZERO felt every blow. He attempted to block, but it was a skill and he could not move whatsoever. Soon, he reached Protect Break status and was Data Drained by the player. ZERO slumped over and was apparently unconscious. Kite took control of his Iron Grunty and road towards the dungeon and entered, leaving the other players behind.

          "ZERO, you okay?"

          "Ya, I'm fine, but they took my hacking abilities away. I can only use my skills and Data Load. They took my items, Data Override, and even took my Data Bug."

          "Data Bug?"

          "Weren't you curious why my HP and SP were replaced by some strange symbols? This character I created hastily and I didn't have time to develop. I used hacking programs to create my character as you see now. Let me rest for a bit. We shall continue soon."

          ZERO laid there with little power. After an hour of waiting, he finally got up.

          "Okay, let's go."

          They wandered deeper and deeper into the dungeon. There was no sign of anything, not even a simple treasure chest. As they continued forward, they didn't realize that the players of the System Administration were following them. Kite and ZERO finally reached a room where the gates shut and trapped them in.

          "Be careful. There's something wrong and I don't like it."

          They realized that they had activated a Magic Portal and a group of creatures were released. They seemed like ordinary creatures…until they suddenly fused together to form a gigantic creature that barely fit in the room. It had a deadly blade instead of a left hand and full armor, not to mention purple Phoenix Wings.

          "I don't know what the hell that is, but it definitely isn't normal. Kite, your fast, right?"

"Ya, of course. That's what Twin Blades are known for."

"Okay, get behind it and slash it as much as possible. I'll distract it from the front. Try and slash it as much as possible. Once it starts to notice you, retreat and use some scrolls on it. If it reaches a break status, it could be anyone of us to use our skill. Understood?"

"Ya, let's do it."

ZERO struck the creature from the front. While it was chasing him, Kite went behind it and continuously slashed it.

"Good job. This should be done in no time at all. What?!"

The creature was doing something strange. It was starting to look fuzzy and was going static when the next thing they know, everyone in the entire dungeon was transported to this strange place and to make matters worse, the creature had created a clone.

"Hmmm…this seems oddly familiar (hint: .Hack//LIMINALITY). I just can't put my finger on it."

The System Administrator players were there too, but they didn't bother to interfere. They were too scared out of their minds to even attempt to attack Kite or ZERO. Both were having trouble dealing with the strange, new creation. Once they started to get used to the creature they were fighting, it just created another copy of itself.

"There's no way I can deal with this without my hacking powers. Wait, that's it!"

ZERO rushed forward to meet the System Administrator player who had taken his powers.

"I apologize for what I must do. I promise to heal you later."

ZERO struck the player relentlessly until he reached the break status. ZERO then used Data Drain to regain his previous programs, with the exception of the Data Bug.

"Oh well, here goes nothing."

ZERO cast Ap Do on himself and rushed forward, slashing each creature. It seems that he had defeated them, but they didn't give up. They all rejoined together and created one big creature that was so big, it seemed to go past the heavens. It also had an on new armor that was 10x stronger than its previous armor. It also had four arms. Each arm had a shield on the forearm. On one hand was a giant sword bigger than any existing weapon in the game. On another, it had a spike ball instead of a hand. One hand a gigantic axe 20x bigger than Piros's biggest axe. The last one held a lance that was bigger than any ship of the Aerial Fleet.

"This is a challenge. Luckily, I created just the skill to crush this foe…literally. Here it is, Crush Slash!"

ZERO rushed forward and leapt higher than the height of the beast. Oddly enough, the slash didn't make contact. However, when ZERO landed, there was some gravity that was bringing the creature to the size of a tin can. It resisted as much as it could. It won the fight with gravity…at the cost of all of its armor.

"I can't Data Drain yet. I hate to do this, but I have to! Data Load!"

ZERO weakly activated the bracelets concealed by his gauntlets and put them together to create one bracelet. It started to create the usual vortex and was slowly sucking the creature in. After a few minutes, it was complete.

"There, we're done here. Kite, give this Healing Potion to that player who lays motionless on the ground."

As Kite was about to do as ZERO said, he heard the usual scream, but this time there was something different.

"ZERO, you okay?"

"I just loaded a giant armored behemoth. What do you think? Don't worry, I got my vaccine. I'll take it now."

ZERO reached for his vaccine…but there was no more. He collapsed on the ground.

"ZERO, say something!"

"Get me more vaccines. I have a list on how to make it. Please help me. I'm begging you. If I don't take a vaccine within 24 hours, my character will be permanently deleted and I will die in real life. So please, just help me."

ZERO fell unconscious. Kite knew he had to hurry. He picked up ZERO's limp and flimsy body and used a Sprite Ocarina and gated out. He set ZERO by his Noble Grunty and instructed it to hide him.

"Don't worry ZERO, I promise. I will help no matter what."

To Be Continued…

Kite must search for the ingredients for ZERO's vaccine. With a time limit, a strong player to fight, and System Administration breathing down his neck, how will Kite complete this seemingly impossible task?

A.N.: Happy now? ZERO finally has his weakness and Kite takes the spotlight. I'm sorry if I make him seem invincible 'cuz it's a really bad habit T_T. Anyhow, hope you stick around and not think this fan fic's a total piece of @#Q$ 'cuz I put as much effort on this than anything else. I had to rush through the last chapter and this one so you'll see ZERO's ultimate weakness. For those of you who figured his weakness, I'd like to give u a prize, but I don't got @#$%, k? Anyhows, see ya!

ZERO


	5. Race Against Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO 

Chapter Four: Race Against Time

          "I promise, I will help you."

          Kite and ZERO had just faced a creature that was unlike any they've seen. They won, but ZERO had realized that he was out of vaccines and was also unconscious. ZERO gave a Kite a list of items needed to make the vaccine. What's the catch? Kite has 24 hours to complete this task or else ZERO will be deleted and the user will die. To make things worse, the System Administration was still after them, despite what they saw.

          "I couldn't save Orca, but maybe I can help ZERO. Let's see here. It asks for Aromatic Grass. Hmmm…maybe I can trade with my Noble Grunty."

          Kite approached his faithful grunty.

          "Oh! Mon ami! Do you want something from my treasures?"

          "Uh huh. I need Aromatic Grass. I'll give you a Grunty Doll. I don't need it anyway."

          "Thank you mon ami! Thank you!"

          "That was easy. What's next on the list?"

          Kite took a look and saw that the following items were going to be harder. The following items were a Healing Elixir, Emperor's Soul, and a Noble Wine. He didn't have to worry about the Noble Wine. It was the Healing Elixir and Emperor's Soul that really had him worried.

          "Maybe I can get it through trade, but who am I going to get it from? Wait, I know!"

          Kite had used Data Drain many times. To be exact, he had Data Drained 97 creatures and every ten times he Data Drained, he gained a Ryu Book. He knew that maybe the Ryu Book III would tell him which player had the two items. Kite was still puzzled why no one noticed him opening a book that emitted such bright light. Kite had no time to ponder. He opened the Ryu Book and scrolled through the list of people he had met.

          "Here's someone. Her name is Hayate. She's a Twin Blade just like me. She doesn't have good weapons, but her skills are deadly. Hopefully, this won't cause any trouble."

          She was on the same server as him. She was currently on a dungeon adventure. Kite waited by the Magic Portal for about three hours before she finally appeared again.

          "Ummm…Hi Hayate."

          "Oh, it's just you. You got good weapons, but your skills suck. You can barely defend yourself."

          "I don't want to fight you, I just want to trade."

          "Okay, what items do you want from me?"

          "Ummm…Your Emperor's Soul and Healing Elixir."

          "What!? Those are my best items! No way I'm trading those items to a newbie like you! You'd just waste them on nothing!"

          "I need them to help a friend of mine. Have you heard of ZERO?"

          "ZERO? No way…it's just not possible. ZERO your friend?"

          "Ya, what's the problem?"

          "You're dealing with the hacker who caused Pluto's Kiss! No way I'm gonna let you use them to help him!"

          "You don't understand. He tried to save me from something we fought. He used him infamous Data Load, but he doesn't have any vaccines to help himself. I need those to create the vaccine and help him. If I don't give him the vaccine, he will die. Look, I got 21 hours to create this thing and help him before he dies."

          "You want it? Fine! But there's a catch. You have to beat me and take it from me."

          "I was trying to avoid this."

          "What? You chickening out? If you want those items, you have to beat me!"

          "Okay, I will."

          They both agreed to the fight. They both used the Recorder before starting the battle.

"Let's get this over with. I have to go on another dungeon adventure with my friend in an hour." 

Kite knew he was in trouble. He had to think of a strategy to beat her. She was an expert and knew all the advantages of a Twin Blade, despite the fact that she wants to be a Heavy Axeman. They both had their blades out. She was using the Hell's Gate and he was using the Hyakkidourans given to him.

"Ready?"

"Go!"

          They rushed forward and attempted to finish the battle quick. Their blades met with each other. Kite withdrew his blades and attempted to slash her stomach. She blocked the attack and even pushed Kite back. He was at the edge of the board. If he fell off, he was done for and he would never get those items. He balanced himself and carefully moved forward away from the boards.

          "Is that the best you got? Huh, I knew you were a newb."

          "This isn't done yet."

          She charged forward at him and had one of her blades about to strike his head. He used both blades to block the strong attack, but he forgot about the other blade. She struck him in the stomach and he lost 10% of his health.

          "She's good. I have to come up with a plan to strike her. Hmmm…she defends against my blades and them strikes. I have to do something with her defenses. Wait, I got it!"

          Kite waited for her to charge forward. She did just that. This was her fatal mistake.

          "Twin Dragons!"

          Kite went in a flurry of fiery slashes. She tried to defend, but it was pointless. She lost 25% of her health.

          "Dammit! I didn't realize he had skills that were that good! I have to avoid facing him head-on."

          She stood still and waited for Kite to do his worst. He did just that. He was literally running circles around her. When he got close to her, he used the Twin Dragons skill. Kite had a total of 150 SP. He had 60 SP remaining, but that should do it. He would just strike her with regular slashes. He intended on doing the same tactic on her. This time, she was running to the board and balanced herself. Kite carefully walked forward. Hayate got careless again and assumed that Kite couldn't strike her with the skill, unless he wanted to fall off. Kite jumped back a bit and performed Twin Dragons yet again.

          "Ha! Got you! Now I need to do one more Twin Dragons and I'm finished."

          "Humph! You don't have the SP. You only have 15 SP remaining!"

          "She's right. I need to recharge the SP regularly. Maybe I can stall her! Ap Do!"

          Kite's speed increased significantly and was definitely faster than Hayate.

          "Just hope it holds up in time. I have to do this for ZERO's sake."

          Kite ran away from Hayate and hoped beyond hope that his SP would recover in time. She couldn't manage to hit Kite with his current speed. She just couldn't do it and she didn't have the Ap Do skill.

          "I know! I'll wait for it to wear off. Then I can strike him relentlessly and finish him off."

          Her strategy was a perfect one. She knew with his level, he wouldn't be able to regenerate the SP that fast. If he tried another Ap Do, it would take even longer to regenerate the SP. She stuck close to Kite, but not that close. Soon, his Ap Do wore off. She rushed forward and slashed him relentlessly. He only had 10% of his HP.

          "Now, any last words before you and your friend are done for?"

          "Ya, farewell."

          "Wha?"

          "Twin Dragons!"

          She didn't expect his SP to regenerate so fast. It took the last bit of her HP and she was finished. Kite waited for her to re-connect and soon enough, she appeared.

          "I can't believe that a rookie like you beat me! Oh well, I can't break a promise. Here's the Emperor's Soul and Healing Elixir as promised."

          Kite took the items and proceeded forward to ZERO's unconscious body.

          "ZERO, you awake?"

          "Ya, I'm okay. Do you have the items?"

          "Ya, I do. What do I do next?"

          "First you-look out!"

          Kite looked behind him to see a player for the System Administrator attempt to strike him. ZERO pushed him out of the way and took the blow.

          "Kite, run! Don't worry about me,I'll be fine. You just get somewhere safe."

          Kite ran as fast as he could. He entered random keywords and escaped from the players of the System Administration.

          Kite arrived at a location he didn't even bother to look at. He used his grunty to travel to the inside of the dungeon, but didn't bother going any farther. He could hear them talking, but barely.

          "Did you find the little punk?"

          "No, not yet. Well, at least Lios Data Drained his friend by now. He deserved it after what he did to me."

          Kite knew he heard that name before. It sounded very familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He knew that he had to log out first or they would chase him. He exited the dungeon quietly and gated out. Once he arrived at Dun Loireag, the players of the System Administration were there and charged forward only to see Kite log out.

(16 hours later)

          Kite logged back into "The World." He went immediately to ZERO, who was sprawled on the ground.

          "ZERO, you okay? I heard you got Data Drained.

          "I'm fine. I was able to set up a firewall, but it only protected all my skills and items. I can't hack or set up the firewall anymore unless I get them back from System Administration."

          "ZERO, I overheard one of the players mention a player named Lios. He sounds familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it. Who is he? Another player from System Administration?"

          "Kite, he isn't a player for System Administration…he is System Administration. Only he could take my hacking skills with the firewall on."

          "Him System Administration?"

          "Ya, but forget that. Do you have the ingrediants?"

          "Ya, here they are."

          "Thanks."

          ZERO took the items from Kite. He poured out the Noble Wine, Emperor's Soul, and Healing Elixir in some sort of pot. He had to crush the Aromatic Grass into bits and put it in the pot. He took out a sort of spoon and mixed the items together. Then, he poured it in a sort of vile and drank it. ZERO was now looking better. His image became more clearer. Kite could clearly see his black cape that covered his body and the two long bangs that were slightly bigger than his head. He could also see his sword as shiny and sharp as usual.

          "I must depart now. I promise to contact you later. Farewell."

          Kite watched ZERO log off. Kite still wondered what was in store for them now that the System Administration itself was after both of them.

          "Will I ever be able to figure out what happened to Orca? Or is there something else in store for us."

To Be Continued…

Kite gets an e-mail from ZERO. This time, he has found an area containing the remaining Virus Cores. However, there is yet another trap in store for them. What is it this time?


	6. Search Over

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO 

Chapter Five: Search Over

          "I wonder, is this search for Orca's cause of coma really worth it?"

          Kite had just saved ZERO from death itself. However, he was starting to doubt his adventures with ZERO and the rest of his group.

          "Of course it is! A friend helps out a friend in need. I can't let Orca down. Not after IT destroyed him."

          This happened on Kite's first time logging on to "The World." He and his friend, Orca, were on a dungeon adventure when they spotted a girl in white and the creature carrying a sort of wand. They ignored it at first, but trouble came to them. When leaving, they encountered the girl in white, who Kite found out was named Aura. She gave Orca the Book of the Twilights. IT soon arrived and did battle with Orca. It won and Data Drained Orca. Kite still doesn't know how he was saved or how he acquired the Book of the Twilights, but he had it and he even opened it at Δ: Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Grounds.

          "I'll log out for now. All this adventure's makin' me tired."

          Kite logged out and checked his e-mail. Not surprisingly, one was from ZERO. Kite seemed eager to read it. The subject told him that they were almost done.

Sender: ZERO

Subject: Search Over

Dear Kite,

          I have just found the last place to go. My search is finally over. There is an area for the remaining Virus Cores and I'm not going to let this chance slip. Who knows, maybe we can also find out something useful.

          "Hmmm…Maybe I can find out information on Orca…or IT. Better help him out, even if I don't get anything out of it."

          Kite logged back in and waited at Dun Loireag. ZERO didn't make some sort of flashy entrance for once and logged in like a normal person.

          "Didn't feel up to a sneaky approach?"

          "No, I just have to lay low for a while. So, you ready? We can leave at any time. I suggest going to the Elf's Haven and storing any unnecessary items. However, I'd take as many Attack Magic Scrolls as you can."

          Kite did just as ZERO said. Kite returned as quickly as possible.

          "I'm ready. Let's go."

          Once arriving to their location, they were attacked by a group of monsters that were Data Bugged.

          "Kite, you pick any one you like. I'll take the leftovers."

          "Fine. I'll take the Phoenix Queen and Hell Hound."

          Kite knew about Phoenix Queens. He stayed a good distance away from them and used The Hanged Man on the Phoenix Queen. He then rushed forward and slashed it as many times as possible. Skills were useless against a Phoenix Queen because they had very good physical evade. Kite just kept hacking away at it until the spell wore off. Kite ran away and used an Ice Strike on the Phoenix Queen and the Hell Hound was next to it, thus causing an Elemental Hit to the Hell Hound and putting them both in Protect Break. Kite activated his Twilight Bracelet and performed Data Drain on each one of them and finishing them off with one slash.

          ZERO was having a little more difficulty. There were many that ganged up on him one after another. He was very inexperienced with Data Bugged monsters without his own hacking powers.

          "Humph! Think that'll stop me? It's not over yet."

          ZERO charged forward foolishly and slashed every creature. However, it had little effect on them and they were regrouping.

          "Kite, seems you're done. Mind helping me?"

          Kite snuck behind the Tetra Armor and used his famous Twin Dragons skill that he used on Hayate to win. It was just enough to get it to a Protect Break status. ZERO used the Data Drain before Kite even got a chance to lift his wrist. ZERO then used countless of scrolls on the remaining creatures and used his infamous Data Load.

          "ZERO, I hope you have plenty of vaccines."

          "I do, so don't worry. I'm starting to get used to this. At least I don't cry out in pain."

          "Ya, you're right. Still, don't forget to take it."

          "Okay. Still, there's something about this place that's unlike the other places we've been at."

          ZERO couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something wrong. He wandered forward anyway, forgetting that he even brought that up. They were traveling by foot so they could acquire more Virus Cores. They received Virus Cores E, H, T, V, and W. They had eleven more Virus Cores to collect.

          "Good thing we came here. We'll get those Virus Cores in no time."

          "Don't be hasty. There is a reason this place has so many Virus Cores. This place has been severely damaged by the Virus and might be destroyed soon. It's best we finish our business here ASAP."

          Kite and ZERO wandered aimlessly forward. They activated many portals and gained many Virus Cores. In fact, they only needed to get one last Virus Core. They continued wandering forward until they found the entrance to the dungeon. Inside, it seemed very empty. There were no magic portals whatsoever. They continued forward and soon, they entrances were sealed off. They looked forward to see some sort of shadow.

          "You cannot enter here unless you answer three riddles correctly."

          "What?! This isn't supposed to happen."

          "Kite, I'll take care of this. Still, be on your guard."

          The air was thick with tension. ZERO was unsure if they would pass at all.

          "For my first riddle. What walks on four legs in the morni-"

          "A human. Next question please."

          "For my second riddle. What is the beginning of the end and the end to time and space?"

          ZERO thought hard. He was unfamiliar with this.

          "Could it be – wait. Hmmm…I got it! The letter E."

          The shadow was getting ticked off. If ZERO got the last riddle, he would pass.

          "The final question. There is an item. The one who makes it has no need for it. The one who buys it, cannot use it. And the one who is using it cannot see it or feel it."

          "This I am unfamiliar with. Hmmm…Lemme guess, a coffin? The one who makes it and the one who buys it can't use a coffin yet and the one who uses it is dead. There, let us pass."

          "Very well. Since you passed my test, I am aware that you are searching for Virus Cores. Here are all that I can give you."

          It was a great accomplishment because they had to just get one more Virus Core. It seemed impossible, but then again, nothing to them was impossible. They proceeded forward and saw that a boss was up ahead.

          "Here's the big finish. You ready?"

          "Hold up, I'm using my multiplier item."

          "Hacking item?"

          "They took my hacking powers away. Not my skills and items, hacking or not. There, I'm finished. Okay, let's go."

          They walked through the thick, purple mist. First, they saw a regular dungeon room. All of a sudden, the room vanished and they were in a room that was completely white and no walls whatsoever.

          "Be careful. There's something wrong with this and I don't like it."

          Next thing they knew, they were transported to the place Kite saw IT. However, a different enemy awaited them. It was a Data Bugged Mu Guardian.

          "Simple enough. Let's finish this."

          Suddenly, other monsters that were Data Bugged appeared. There was a Data Bugged Scorpion Tank, along with a Data Bugged Armored Shogun. There was no end to the monsters that appeared.

          "There's no way we can beat all these monsters!"

          "There's always a way. Trust me. Now, let's go!"

          ZERO hacked and slashed the Mu Guardian, but it wasn't going into a Protect Break.

          "Kite, toss me your Ryu Book IV."

          "Okay, here you go."

          ZERO was a good distance away from the enemies along with Kite. They opened the book and looked at the monsters they were fighting.

          "This can't be right…there's no way…"

          "Why am I not surprised?"

          They saw that under every monster, they were unable to Data Drain them. It seemed hopeless for them and they were coming quick. However, they saw something on the bottom of the book. There was a creature that didn't even belong in the server they were in. What was even better was that they could Data Drain it and it even had the last Virus Core…Virus Core X.

          "Okay, it's called a Killer Gomora. Come on ZERO, let's find it."

          "You never cease to amaze me."

          They rushed forward and plowed through the creatures. It was among the crowd somewhere. They used their weapons to repel the enemies.

          "ZERO, this isn't working!"

          "I got it! Kite, use one of your scrolls and find it! It has to be somewhere here."

          Kite was able to successfully target it and it suffered a great deal of damage. ZERO rushed in and did a flurry of slashes. It soon reached a Protect Break.

          "Okay stand back. Data Load!" ZERO sucked in the Gomora and gained the last Virus Core.

          "Okay, my quest is finished, but we got to take care of these guys. What do we do?!"

          Suddenly, the cores started to emit strange aura.

          "What's going on!?"

          "This is just what we need. Kite, remember what I said about my final skill?"

          "Ya, that's right…but don't you need to put them in a break status?"

          "…No."

          The Virus Cores merged together and created a sort of scroll.

          "What is that?"

          "The Scroll of Twilights. With it, I will gain the Data Blaze."

          ZERO opened the scroll. It was similar to the time Kite opened the Book of Twilights. ZERO's hair went totally white and his cape became the same color, along with his armor. The biggest transformation was his sword. It became a long, double-edged sword. Above the hilt was sort of a copy of the Twilight Bracelet. The rest of it was made of steel.

          "This is it! It ends here!"

          The Data Bugged creatures were rushing forward, but ZERO knew what to do. The Twilight Bracelet above the hilt started to revolve counter-clockwise and was slowly gaining speed. When it was at the fasted speed it could go, he slashed forward. It created a blaze of data that rushed forward and overcame the creatures. At first, there was no effect. Suddenly, all of the creatures suddenly exploded and their data vanished forever. However, there were Virus Cores and other items scattered on the ground. ZERO picked up another Virus Core X and tucked it away.

          "You can have the rest of the items. I don't need them. I have enough Virus Cores to find out what the CC Corporation is up to. I thank you. For that, I will continue to assist you in your troubling quest. I can give you that much. Well, be seein' ya. Bye!"

          ZERO logged out and returned to the rest of his life. Kite stood there on the field.

          "I wonder…can he find a way to help the comatose victims? I hope so, for Orca's sake."

To Be Continued…

It's the final chapter. Kite has finally found the whereabouts of IT and invited BlackRose and ZERO. What happens will change everything…

A.N.: Okay, I went overboard again and made ZERO omnipotent, so don't flame me too bad. Don't worry. In the next chapter, something worse than a viral infection will occur and it ain't gonna be pretty! ^_^


	7. Vengeance

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO Chapter Six: Vengeance 

          "I've finally found IT." Kite had just received an e-mail from Helba with the keywords to IT's location. Kite returned to "The World" and the first thing he saw was BlackRose. He knew that she wanted to come to.

          "You have the keywords to IT don't you?"

          "Ya, it's θ: Chosen Hopeless Nothingness. Why?"

          "Let me come with you."

          "I knew you wanted to. Let me just invite a friend."

          "Who? Sanjuro? Or is it Piros?"

          "It's neither. I'm inviting ZERO."

          "ZERO?! He's a friend of yours!? Do you even know what he is!?"

          "I do as a matter of fact. He's a hacker that accidentally triggered Pluto's Kiss. Even though he did, helping me and I helped him by getting him all the Virus Cores."

          BlackRose had a feeling she wouldn't like him. ZERO arrived without the flashy entrance.

          "Hi Kite. Let me guess, this is BlackRose?"

          "How do you know who I am?"

          "Kite talks about you so much that it could make my head explode."

          "Are you dissing me!?"

          "Calm down Kite. I was just kiddin' around. Is there any problem with that? Okay, I'm sorry if I offended you."

          "Could we just go now!?"

          "Kite, I suggest we do what Black Rose said. I don't have to collect any more Virus Cores, but you want to defeat IT. So now, let's be on our way."

          "Fine. Okay, I entered the keywords."

          It was a Protected Area and Kite couldn't go there regularly. The Gate Hacking menu opened and Kite input the necessary Virus Cores in.

          They arrived at the field safely.

          "I'm not in the mood to fight monsters. Kite, why don't we ride a Grunty?"

          "I gotta agree with you there. Hold on, let me get out my Grunty Flute."

          Kite played the Grunty Flute. The Iron Grunty answered his call. They rode him onward into the dungeon. They arrived without getting attacked by anything.

          "We really don't have time to loot this dungeon. I guess I should use this Fairy's Orb."

          "That only works for fields!"

          "What've you been smoking? It also works for dungeons."

          "Isn't that a hacking Fairy's Orb?"

          "No, it's a regular one. You really have to stop smoking pot."

          " : – )"

          "BlackRose, don't do that and ZERO, I don't smoke pot."

          "Just kiddin' ya know. Let's continue."

          It showed the entire dungeon. It was obvious they proceeded forward. It was also obvious that there was a magic portal there. Out came a Mantis along with a Red Scissors. They all ignored Kite and BlackRose and headed straight for ZERO.

          "Everyone wants a piece of me, huh?"

          ZERO was getting beaten to a pulp. He couldn't defend against them and they even paralyzed him. Kite was losing a lot of items because of him. ZERO was at the edge of death when he got an idea.

          "I guess I'll have to do this and throughout the rest of the dungeon. Data Blaze!"

          The creatures were blown to bits and items were scattered on the dungeon floor.

          "So much for experience."

          "You still get experience even if I perform Data Blaze."     

          "Why didn't you start it off that way?"

          "Kinda anti-climactic ya know."

          "Who cares! As long as we finish this dungeon and defeat IT."

          "Will you stop calling the thing we're about to fight IT. It does have a name."

          "How would you know?"

          "This game is based on a poem called the Epitaph of Twilight. The thing we're about to fight is called Skeith. It is part of something called The Wave, mentioned in the Epitaph of Twilight. That is merely Phase One of The Wave. Now, let us continue."

          "But-"

          "I'll tell you the rest when we're finished."

          They headed to the left. Another portal was there.

          "ZERO, can you just use it now?"

          "Fine, if that's what you want. Data Blaze!"

          The instant the creatures emerged, they exploded and were just a mess of data left on the floor. Kite was getting a lot from this. They continued through the dungeon. ZERO used Data Blaze to take care of each and every creature they ran into. They finally arrived at the last dungeon. It was very straightforward.

          "Kite, may I tell you something?"

          "Sure, what is it?"

          "It's about Mia."

          "You did talk strange around her."

          "It's about her. I have to make this quick. There is something ominous about her. Here's a clue. She is one part of the number of the beast. A sword holds the answer to that riddle. That's all I will tell you now. Now, let's just finish what was started long ago."

          They stepped into the thick, purple mist. Kite saw Aura on arrival.

          "Aura?"

          "I see you received the mail I sent you. Yet however, it's too late."

          "Wait! There's something I have to ask you."

          Shockingly, Skeith was behind Aura.

          "Nooooooo!"

          She was being raised into the air. The next part was obvious. Skeith Data Drained her and the rest of her was broken into three pieces and scattered somewhere.

          "Okay, that does it. It ends here."

          The battle commenced. ZERO was about to perform Data Blaze, but Skeith just ran towards ZERO and knocked his sword out of his hand.

          "He doesn't want me using Data Blaze. Very well, I'll do as he says."

          ZERO picked up his sword and assisted BlackRose.

          "Kite, I got a good strategy. You stay away from Skeith and use your scrolls on it, while BlackRose and I attack it with skills such."

          "Okay."

          "One more request."

          "What now?"

          "Can you perform Ap Do on me? That way I can get behind him and do a flurry of attacks on him."

          "Okay."

          As ZERO requested, Kite performed Ap Do on ZERO. He was able to get behind Skeith and, as promised, did a flurry of attacks. BlackRose was performing the Hayabusa skill. Skeith was getting a serious beating. Suddenly, the tables turned. He performed a new skill called Judgment and froze everyone. When it shattered, everyone suffered 400 HP worth of damage.

          "Damn, that hurt. Kite, get close. I'm about to use a Pure Water in case he tries that again, not to mention a Divine Cross."

          ZERO kept his word. Everyone was at full HP and they were attacking Skeith again. Next thing they know, Skeith is performing Data Drain. The target was ZERO. It was similar to what happened with Aura, but ZERO wasn't deleted. Instead, numerous status effects infected him.

          "Why wasn't he deleted?"

          "It seems the bracelet's power weakens if the victim isn't in a Protect Break status. Now Kite, can you use an Antidote and a Restorative on me?"

          "I can't because I'm all out."

          "What about BlackRose?"

          "She's out too. Remember the first portal? We exhausted all of the items on you."

          "Huh, just my luck."

          The tables did turn. Kite was out of SP, ZERO was infected by numerous status effects, and BlackRose was barely alive. Skeith was dominating. Skeith rushed to where Kite and ZERO were and hit both of them at the same time. Both ended up in a Protect Break status. 

          "This isn't good. If any of us gets Data Drained, we'll be getting more than a System Error screen. He's gonna go for Kite, I know it!"

          ZERO was right. The bracelet was starting to activate. Kite couldn't move or anything. He couldn't even slash Skeith since he was far away. Kite was being raised up into the air. The bracelet was about to fire off when ZERO got it the way. The attack made contact with ZERO instead and blocked it from Kite.

          "ZERO!"

          "I knew something like this would happen. Farewell my friend. My the grace of the Twilight Dragon be with you."

          ZERO was then deleted. However, his sword remained. Kite picked up the sword. It was starting to act on its own. It activated like the first time ZERO used the Data Blaze.

          "This is for all the victims you Data Drained, including Orca and ZERO!"

          Kite slashed the ground. It sent a blaze that struck Skeith and shattered him. Kite had finally won the battle.

(Beat .Hack//Infection for what happens after this battle.)

          Kite and BlackRose arrived at Dun Loireag. Kite was having trouble dealing with the fact that he lost another friend.

          "I know how hard it is to lose a friend."

          "You only lost one. I lost two who have helped me out."

          "Kite, forget that. ZERO was a good friend. Only real friends would sacrifice themselves so that others can move on. That's what you need to do."

          "Are you saying I should forget him?"

          "No, I'm saying to move on, but always hold on to his memory. At least you got to know him. I only saw him for one dungeon adventure."

          "I guess you're right."

          "Well, I gotta go."

          "Ya, see ya."

          BlackRose logged out. Kite remained there, holding on the Twilight Blade, ZERO's sword. He went to his Iron Grunty.

          "Master, how can I serve you? Clang!"

          "I need you to hold on to this sword. Don't lose it, it's very important to me."

          "I understand. Clang!"

          Kite walked away. There was still something troubling him. ZERO left with many questions unanswered.

          "Did he find out what the CC Corporation is doing? And what was he talking about with Mia? One part of the number of…I give up. Maybe I'll never find the answers."

          Kite logged out. Even though ZERO left with many questions unanswered, he also left many dear memories.

A.N.: Satisfied? Don't flame me, okay? Now read the epilogue.

A.A.N.: If anyone can solve ZERO's riddle, I'll actually read their fic and even give a good review (no flames). Just e-mail the answer to TeraZero@aol.com. See ya!


	8. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the .Hack series or Bandai. 

.Hack//Penetration

By ZERO Epilogue 

            ZERO's sacrifice was great. Kite was able to move on like BlackRose said. Kite wasn't able to figure out the riddle. ZERO left with many unanswered questions. Kite was sure he held the answer to what the CC Corporation was doing. Kite didn't dare use the sword again. It held too much power and he couldn't bear to hold the blade without remembering the owner. Although ZERO left with many unanswered questions, he also left a great clue. If "The World" was, in fact, based on the Epitaph of Twilight, Kite already had something to start. This eased Kite that ZERO didn't leave without a purpose and maybe, just maybe, ZERO's memory would live forever.


End file.
